80-85 points - WhiskyRant

All whiskies with 80-85 points by WhiskyRant blog.

December 14, 2015

Glenkinchie 12 year old review

Glenkinchie 12 year old single malt whisky is kinda new addition to the core range of this Lowland distillery. This is a entry level bottling released in 2007, replacing the 10 year old by Glenkinchie. Lowland has only six distilleries located in the region. Like the name suggests, Glenkinchie lies […]

December 8, 2015

Cutty Sark 12 year old review

Cutty Sark is a well known cocktail whisky and also one of the first light colored blended whiskies. The legendary name comes from a ship called Cutty Sark ship, which was bought back to England from Portugal for naval training in 1923. The original blended whisky was created on March […]

December 6, 2015

Scallywag blended malt review

As a big fan of Big Peat, I had to try out Scallywag by Douglas Laing as soon as it was launched. Scallywag is a vatted malt made from Speyside whiskies, such as Mortlach, Macallan and Glenrothes. Most of the whiskies in this small batch release come from Spanish Ex-Sherry […]

November 28, 2015

Finlaggan Old Reserve review

Finlaggan Old Reserve is another “bang for the buck whisky” for “peatheads” like me. It comes from Islay and is bottled by The Vintage Malt Whisky Company, but nothing else is being told about the whisky. Even the maturation is a guarded secret, but I’d guess it to be Ex-Bourbon […]

November 24, 2015

Balvenie Single Barrel 15 year old review

I got a chance to try bottle number 19 from batch 8590 of Balvenie Single Barrel 15 year old single malt at our local whisky society blind tasting. Maturation started in Ex-Bourbon casks in August 1997, bottled in October 2012. With a maximum of only 350 bottles per batch, the […]

November 2, 2015

Kilkerran Work In Progress Sherry Wood 5th release review

This review is about the 5th Release of Kilkerran Work In Progress Sherry Wood, a product from Glengyle distillery in Campbeltown region. They also make Work In Progress Bourbon Wood. This series is a great way of seeing how the whisky is developing. They are working their way towards Kilkerran […]

October 27, 2015

Green Spot Single Pot Still whiskey review

Green Spot is an Irish Single Pot Still whiskey coming from the same distillery, that makes Single Pot Still whiskeys with age statements, the New Midleton distillery. Green Spot is made from whiskeys aged between 7 and 10 years. Also known as Pure Pot Still is traditional Irish way of […]

October 21, 2015

Bushmills 10 year old review

Bushmills 10 year old Irish whiskey comes from the Norhern Ireland based Old Bushmills Distillery. This triple distilled whiskey from one oldest whiskey distilleries in the world (licensed in 1608) has been matured in Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Oloroso Sherry casks, mostly in Ex-Bourbon. I must say, this experience indeed strengthens the […]

October 3, 2015

Dailuaine 16 year old Flora and Fauna review

This Dailuaine 16 year old single malt is part of the Flora and Fauna collection by Diageo. Dailuaine malt whisky distillery was founded in 1852 and is located in Charlestown-of-Aberlour, Strathspey in the Speyside region. Weird, but only 2% of its malt whisky is actually sold as single malt by […]

September 26, 2015

GlenDronach 21 year old Parliament review

GlenDronach 21 year old Parliament is a single malt matured in a mix of Oloroso and sweet Pedro Ximenez dessert sherry casks. 21 year old whisky from the great Speyside distillery surely sounds promising, even though I’m usually not a fan of sweet sherried whiskies. And yes, GlenDronach is officially […]

September 15, 2015

The Ultimate Glenrothes 1995 17YO review

The Ultimate Whisky Company is an independent bottler founded in 1994 by Han and Maurice van Wees. Since then they have released over 500 malt whiskies, the list of products can be found here along with distillation and bottling dates, ages, cask types and numbers. All of The Ultimate whiskies […]

September 2, 2015

Auchentoshan Springwood review

Auchentoshan Springwood was created for travel retail by the “Glasgow’s Malt Whisky” (the nickname comes from the close proximity to Glasgow). Auchentoshan is also known as “the breakfast whisky” – their whisky is triple distilled, which makes it delicate. This Lowland distillery produces smooth and light whiskies. They usually make […]

August 16, 2015

Hammer Head 1989 23 year old single malt whisky review

Hammer Head 1989 23 year old single malt whisky has a great backstory. Distilled just before the Czechoslovakian Velvet Revolution, every ingredient is local. Barley, water and even the oak casks were made out of Czech wood. Purchased by Stock Spirits Group, the whisky had been forgotten for 20 years […]

July 18, 2015

W. L. Weller 12 year old review

W. L. Weller is a famous wheated bourbon whiskey brand by the ever so famous Buffalo Trace distillery. Originally owned by the Stitzel-Weller Distilling Company, but nowadays the brand is owned by the Sazerac Company. Like all other bourbons, the mash is composed of at least 51% corn, but instead […]

July 16, 2015

Laphroaig PX Cask Triple Matured review

Laphroaig PX Cask replaced their Triplewood in the travel retail but like its predecessor, the PX Cask expression has been matured in three different casks too. With the difference, that Laphroaig PX Cask spends its last 12 months in Pedro Ximenez Ex-Sherry casks. The whole maturation process goes like this: […]

July 15, 2015

Bruichladdich 15 year old 1st Edition review

This is the First Edition of Bruichladdich 15 year old, matured 85% in American Ex-Bourbon and 15% in Ex-Sherry Spanish Oak. The 2nd Edition was matured only in American Oak and finished in Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes casks. Lightly peated, non chill-filtered and colouring free, like Laddies tend to be. Artsy […]

July 14, 2015

Kilchoman 100% Islay 2nd Edition review

Kilchoman 100% Islay 2nd Edition is a fifty-fifty vatting of 3 and 4 year old whisky matured in first fill and re-fill Ex-Bourbon casks. Kilchoman distillery started producing single malt whisky in 2005. It was the first distillery to be built on the island of Islay in 124 years. The […]

July 10, 2015

Edradour 2003 Ruby Port Matured review

I got a chance to taste Batch 2 of the Edradour 2003 Ruby Port Cask Matured single malt from the smallest distillery in Scotland, located in Highland region. I was kinda excited because notes of strawberries had been stated in reviews. And of course, the pessimist that I am, I […]

July 6, 2015

Highland Park Svein review

For the European travel retail market, Highland Park released 6 different NAS (no age statement) whiskies: Svein, Einar, Harald, Sigurd, Ragnavald and Thorfinn (in order of price). Named after a legendary Viking leader Svein, who was also known for his generous nature and hospitality, as well as his fiery temper. Highland […]

July 6, 2015

Highland Park Harald review

Highland Park released six NAS (no age statement) whiskies for the European travel retail market: Svein, Einar, Harald, Sigurd, Ragnavald and Thorfinn (in order of price). Named after the Norwegian king, Harald Fairhair, who established the Orkney earldom. King Harald also had a well-known victorious army. Highland Park Harald has […]

June 28, 2015

Isle of Jura 10 year old review

Isle of Jura 10 year old is a steady executor, smooth from the start until the finish. Matured in Ex-Bourbon casks, not at all a complex single malt whisky. Bit spicy but nothing like Jura Superstition in spiciness. I’d say that Jura 10YO is a safe option. A nice afternoon starter for example. […]

June 3, 2015

The Glenlivet 18 year old review

I’ll continue with Glenlivet theme, so here’s a review of The Glenlivet 18 year old single malt. Which, after a great experience with the 12YO, was bit of a disappointment. The 18YO is surprisingly rough for its age, though it’s not the only reason for my reasonably humble scoring. Probably […]

May 31, 2015

The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve review

I recently heard that this Glenlivet replaces their 12 year old single malt in the UK market. Being a fan of The Glenlivet 12YO, I had to get my hands on this dram. Even though I felt that this has to be a step back from the whisky it was […]

April 8, 2015

Oban 14 year old review

Oban 14 year old single malt whisky is the primary product of their distillery. The Oban distillery was built in 1794 and it is located in west coast of Scotland. The distillery was built before the town with the same name, which developed later in the surrounding harbor and is […]

March 13, 2015

The Naked Grouse blended malt whisky review

This BIRD is hard to comprehend, yet it’s rich The Naked Grouse is a blended malt whisky from The Famous Grouse brand by The Edrington Group. The malts are from Highland Park and Macallan, matured in first-fill Sherry casks. It has a higher proportion of above-mentioned malts, than in the […]

March 13, 2015

The Black Grouse Alpha Edition review

The Black Grouse Alpha Edition is a peated version of the Famous Grouse. This is a little bit peatier than the ordinary Black Grouse whisky released in 2007, developed for Swedish market. In the label, there’s that grouse again, this time it’s a black one (tetrao tetrix). Miss Whisky has a […]

February 24, 2015

Mackinlay’s Shackleton Rare Old Highland Malt review

In 2006, The New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust found three cases of Chas Mackinlay & Co’s whisky in the ice under Ernest Shackleton’s hut. Shackleton made an expedition to Antarctic in 1907-1909. The expedition didn’t go well, forcing Shackleton to abandon their hut and leave stuff behind – including the whisky […]

January 23, 2015

Teeling Single Grain Cabernet Cask Finish review

This Irish whiskey surely is not the most usual dram, you will bump into. Single grain whiskies aren’t made that much at the moment. And on top of that, Teeling decided to finish their single grain in Californian Cabernet Sauvignon casks. In 2014, it won “World’s Best Grain” at the World […]

January 16, 2015

Bowmore Small Batch review

Bowmore Small Batch is matured in first and second fill ex-bourbon casks. Coming from Islay, it is surprisingly light all the way. Yes, there is some of that signature peat smoke buried on the back. But we’re talking about wee hints of it. And even when talking about other things […]

January 15, 2015

Black Bottle (old bottling) review

I’m glad I got to taste the discontinued old bottling of Black Bottle. According to rumours, it has malt from almost every distillery in Islay (Kilchoman not included). And grain whisky from Speyside, Highland and Lowland. Whiskies contained in this old bottling are thought to be at least 7 years […]